Smoked Turkey and Bean Nachos Recipe

Friends and I were snickering at a well-known cooking show personality and her game day menu episode that ran recently as a prelude to this weekend's Super Bowl. It was complete with detailed instructions for accessorizing tailgate tables and coordinating cocktails. For those of us a little more tuned in to the priorities of football watch parties, we're contributing this Meat Lite recipe to the slew of good ideas offered by Serious Eats this week.

I know you're thinking people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones: Meat Lite or vegetarian recipes have about as much a place at a Super Bowl party as tablecloths, matching plates, and color-coordinated food. But these nachos hold their own against platters of Buffalo wings and football-shape salami, and they scoff at tortilla chips smothered in cheeselike substances that call themselves "queso."

The distinguishing flavor comes from smoked turkey (the recipe calls for a wing, but use whatever size is most appropriate for your crowd), which simmers in your favorite salsa along with black beans. You can build a nacho plate with the resulting sauce as you typically would (pile of chips, heaping spoonfuls of toppings, and a blanket of melted cheese) or you can put the sauce in a big bowl and melt cheese on top, serving the tortilla chips and sour cream on the side (this prevents soggy chips and gives the players the power to control sauce distribution of each bite).

Either way, keep a napkin on hand. It doesn't have to match the uniform colors of your favorite team.

Yield:4 to 6

Ingredients

1 cup jarred salsa

1 cup water

1 smoked turkey wing (about 12 ounces)

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 15-ounce can)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Sour cream

Directions

1.

Combine the salsa, water, turkey wing and beans in a wide, shallow saucepot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

2.

Remove the turkey wing and let it cool slightly. Pull the meat from the skin and bone and chop or shred it. Return the meat to the salsa mixture and discard the skin and bones.

3.

Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof bowl and top with cheese. Set the bowl under the broiler (or in a preheated 400° F oven) to melt the cheese on top.

4.

Serve the smoked turkey and bean mixture with the tortilla chips for scooping and sour cream and chives on the side.

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